Bangladesh's Cabinet Approves Changes to Labor Laws
Three weeks after the Rana Plaza building collapse killed more than 1,100 people, the Bangladeshi government says that they have approved labor law changes. Officials say that the changes will expand benefits and make it easier for garment workers to form unions. The government has also said that they will push for a higher minimum wage. The changes still need to be approved by Parliament. The garment industry employs about 4.5 million people in Bangladesh, about 80% of them women. The current minimum wage is $37 a month.
See "Bangladesh's Cabinet Approves Changes to Labor Laws", Jim Yardley, The New York Times, May 12, 2013